RS Elite

Last updated
RS Elite
Development
DesignerPhil Morrison
NameRS Elite
Crew3
Boat
Crew3
Draft 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in)
Hull
Type Monohull
ConstructionVinylester GRP
Hull weight975 kg (2,150 lb)
LOA 7.4 m (24 ft)
Beam 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typeEncapsulated lead bulb/fin keel
625 kg (1,378 lb)
Rig
Rig typeCarbon composite mast and bowsprit & boom and spinnaker pole
Sails
Mainsail area15.32 m2 (164.9 sq ft)
Jib/genoa area6.7 m2 (72 sq ft)
Spinnaker area25 m2 (270 sq ft)
Racing
RYA PN 938

The RS Eliteclass is a 24-foot keelboat (7.3 m) class designed by Phil Morrison. [1] Built to meet the requirements of the Hayling Island Sailing Club, [1] the class has a start at Cowes Week and events around the United Kingdom. [1] [2] Fleets can be found at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club in the UK, as well as at Falmouth, Belfast Lough, Cowes, Hayling Island and Lymington. Outside the UK, the class can be found in locations such as the Caribbean, Guernsey, Holland, Norway and Sweden. [3]

Contents

Performance and design

The RS Elite draws 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m), and adheres to one-design principles. The keel is moulded on to vertical stainless-steel struts. The boat has a "long sloping transom" and almost parallel sides, a maximised waterline length, and the boat is designed for speed and control. [4] For racing it is a no-hiking boat: crews’ knees must stay inside the boat at all times. There is a full-length alloy tube kickbar down the centreline of the boat, which occupants hook their feet under. [5]

The mast can be erected by hand and is made from carbon fibre. [4] The non-overlapping jib is self-tacking on a single line, which is led to a 4:1 purchase. There is no crew weight limit, but the class rules specify that it must be sailed by between two and three crew members, although the number can be more or less than that with special dispensation from the race committee. [5] In handicap racing the RS Elite sails off a Portsmouth Yardstick of 938. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinghy racing</span> Racing Dinghy boats as a sport.

Dinghy racing is a competitive sport using dinghies, which are small boats which may be rowboats, have an outboard motor, or be sailing dinghies. Dinghy racing has affected aspects of the modern sailing dinghy, including hull design, sail materials and sailplan, and techniques such as planing and trapezing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albacore (dinghy)</span> Two-person dinghy for competitive racing

The Albacore is a 4.57 m (15 ft) two-person planing dinghy, for competitive racing and lake and near-inshore day sailing. Hulls are made of either wood or fiberglass. The basic shape was developed in 1954 from an Uffa Fox design, the Swordfish. Recent boats retain the same classic dimensions, and use modern materials and modern control systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GP14</span> Sailing dinghy

The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 built.

The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing.

Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National 12</span>

The National 12 is a two-person, two-sail, twelve-foot long sailing dinghy. They are sailed extensively in the UK. The class was started in 1936 by the Royal Yachting Association as an alternative to the more expensive International 14s.

Squib (keelboat) A small racing keelboat

A Squib is a type of small racing keelboat designed in 1967 by Oliver Lee as a successor to the Ajax 23. It is a strict "one-design" class of boat, having a length of 19', beam of 6'1½", a sail area of 170 sq. ft. upwind, 310 sq. ft. total and a weight of 1500 lb (680 kg). The usual crew is two people and the boat can be cruised or raced with a Portsmouth Yardstick of 1142. The Squib has been adopted by the RYA as the National Keelboat and is big enough to race at sea and small enough to be trailed easily behind a family car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SB20</span>

The SB20 is a one-design class of sailboat commonly used for racing. Marketed and distributed by Sportsboat World the boat was designed by Tony Castro and launched in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireball (dinghy)</span> Sailboat class

The Fireball is a British sailing dinghy that was designed by Peter Milne as a one-design racer and first built in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RS300</span>

The RS300 is a modern racing sailing dinghy made by RS Sailing. The RS300 is a one-design, single-handed, hiking dinghy with a PY of 972. Designed by Clive Everest and first produced in 1998, it is inspired by the International Moth, of which Everest was a successful designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon (keelboat)</span>

The Dragon is a one-design keelboat designed by Norwegian Johan Anker in 1929. In 1948 the Dragon became an Olympic Class, a status it retained until the Munich Olympics in 1972. The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP construction was introduced in 1973 and the rigging has been regularly updated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RS800</span>

The RS800 is a light-weight sailing dinghy designed by Phil Morrison and manufactured by RS Sailing. The boat is sailed by two people both on trapeze and has a main, jib and spinnaker. The RS800 has a Portsmouth Yardstick number of 799 and a D-PN of 77.0. There is a large racing circuit in the UK, and some European events each year.

The RS Vareo is a modern, single-handed sailing dinghy raced throughout the UK at both club and national level. The RS Vareo is a hiking singlehander with an asymmetric spinnaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RS Feva</span> International racing sailing dinghy

The RS Feva is a two-person sailing dinghy designed by Paul Handley in 2002. It is manufactured and distributed by RS Sailing. The RS Feva is an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) International Class, a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Supported Junior Class, and has been selected by the Dansk Sejlunion and Norges Seilforbund for major sailing growth projects.

The RS500 is a double handed trapeze skiff designed by Phil Morrison, manufactured and designed by RS Sailing. The class has a PY number of 972. There are two sail size options and makes the RS500 suitable for youngsters and adults. With ISAF Recognised Status, the RS500 has a racing circuit with events in UK, Europe and World Championships.

The RS700 is a single-handed racing dinghy built by RS Sailing and designed in 2000 by Nick Peters and Alex Southon as part of the RS series and built in 2001. It is raced in many sailing clubs around Britain, with a PY number of 850 and a D-PN of 73.3.

Swallow (keelboat)

The Swallow is a type of one-design classic keelboat that was used as a two-man Olympic class for the 1948 Olympics. It is now sailed with three crew. Now a thoroughly modern classic, the main fleet is at Itchenor in Chichester Harbour, West Sussex, with a smaller fleet at Aldeburgh, Suffolk. There are around 40 active boats. As a National Class, the rules and affairs of the Class are regulated by the Royal Yachting Association. Many of these boats are named after birds and, in particular, sea birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RS Sailing</span>

RS Sailing is an international designer, builder and supplier of sailboats and dinghies and associated goods and services supported by a worldwide dealer network and class associations.

The RS Vision is a sailing dinghy created by RS Sailing designed for 2 crew members. It can, however, be sailed by a larger crew or be single handed. It is sailed at many clubs around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RS100</span>

The RS100, first launched in 2009 by RS Sailing, is a singlehanded skiff. Possessing an asymmetric spinnaker the boat has two PY numbers of 981 for the 10.2 rig and 1004 for the 8.4 rig. The RS100 has a racing event circuit in the United Kingdom and in Europe, with the Eurotour beginning in 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "YachtsandYachting.com RS Elite Class Page". Yachts & Yachting Online. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  2. "Cowes Week: Notice of Regatta" (PDF), Cowes Week, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, 2001, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011, retrieved 7 June 2011
  3. "RS Elite Background". RS Elite Class Association. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Elite Fleet Racer". Yachting Life Online. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  5. 1 2 "RS Elite Class Rules". RS Elite Class Association. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  6. "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012.